Appeal for St Andrew Hospital deaths’ report to be public

Appeal for St Andrew Hospital deaths’ report to be public A health watchdog has called for an independent inquiry into four deaths on the same ward, after claiming a lack of transparency from the Northampton hospital involved. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Two Northampton care homes likely to close after going into administration

Two Northampton care homes likely to close after going into administration Almost 70 elderly people could be forced to move to new accommodation after two Northampton care homes went into administration. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

New CQC inspection framework: what does a 'well-led' organisation look like?

New CQC inspection framework: what does a 'well-led' organisation look like? Last week the Care Quality Commission (CQC) launched a consultation giving more detail on proposed changes to the way it regulates, inspects and rates health and social care providers, building on the new vision and direction that it set out last year.

The new inspection framework sets out five ‘domains’, assessing providers on whether they are: safe; effective; caring; responsive to people’s needs; and well-led.

Policy paper: Progress on improving nursing for people with learning disabilities

Policy paper: Progress on improving nursing for people with learning disabilities This report sets out the progress made in England during the past year against the 17 recommendations set out in ‘Strengthening the Commitment: The report of the UK Modernising Learning Disability Nursing Review (2012)’.

It shows how the recommendations have been turned into good practice to achieve better health and wellbeing for people with learning disabilities.

It fulfils the commitment we made in ‘Transforming Care: A national response to Winterbourne View Hospital’. Department of Health

Staggering Trainee Doctor Changeover

Staggering Trainee Doctor Changeover. There is a clear need for change in the process of trainee doctor changeover (the time when junior doctors rotate their position). The beginning of August brings an apparent increase in patient morbidity and evidence suggesting increased mortality. It is a time that trainee doctors find stressful and difficult. Royal Colleges, Deans and employers all say that greater uniformity at the time of changeover would enhance service organisation and would be welcomed by trainers. This paper explores the need for variation in the current system for trainee doctor changeover dates. Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

See also:

• Reform NHS training system to end 'Black Wednesday' death rate spike, says report The Daily Telegraph

NHS data-sharing scheme 'mishandled'

NHS data-sharing scheme 'mishandled' The chair of the panel set up to advise ministers on the governance of NHS data tells the BBC the Care.data programme was "mishandled". BBC News

Foreign doctors 'need tougher tests'

Foreign doctors 'need tougher tests' Tests taken by foreign doctors who want to work in the NHS should be made harder to pass to bring them in line with UK standards, a study says. BBC News

See also:

• RCGP response to BMJ research on medical graduate performance in linguistic assessments Royal College of General Practitioners
• Health warning over 88,000 foreign doctors working in the NHS The Independent
• Foreign doctors 'should face tougher skills test before practising in UK' The Guardian

Apathy unproven as early warning sign of dementia

Apathy unproven as early warning sign of dementia “Elderly who lose interest in pastimes could be at risk of Alzheimer's,” reports The Daily Telegraph, with other papers reporting similar headlines.

These incorrect headlines are based on the results of a study that looked for a link between symptoms of apathy and structural brain changes (on brain scans) in over 4,000 older adults who did not have dementia.

Leading doctor calls for inquiry into NHS treatment of whistle-blowers

Leading doctor calls for inquiry into NHS treatment of whistle-blowers

The treatment of NHS whistle-blowers must be subject to a public inquiry, a leading doctor and patient safety pioneer has said, after a heart surgeon who raised the alarm about poor care was found to have been wrongly dismissed by his hospital. The Independent

See also:

• Sacked doctor was unfairly dismissed BBC News
• NHS whistleblower: I was accused of fraud and sexual impropriety The Daily Telegraph
• NHS whistleblower wins landmark dismissal case The Daily Telegraph
• Whistleblowing heart doctor who aired hospital safety fears wins tribunal case The Guardian
• NHS whistleblower Dr Raj Mattu details decade-long bullying campaign The Daily Mail

Thousands die of thirst and poor care in NHS

Thousands die of thirst and poor care in NHS Up to 40,000 patients die annually because hospital staff fail to diagnose a treatable kidney problem, a figure that dwarfs the death toll from superbugs like MRSA. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Failure to spot kidney illness ‘kills 1,000 a month’ The Independent

Opportunity for Regional Improvement: Three Case Studies of Local Health System Performance

Opportunity for Regional Improvement: Three Case Studies of Local Health System Performance Case studies of three U.S. regions that ranked relatively high on the Commonwealth Fund’s Scorecard on Local Health System Performance, 2012, despite greater poverty compared with peers, revealed several common themes. In these communities, multistakeholder collaboration was an important factor in achieving community health or health system goals. There were also mutually reinforcing efforts by health care providers and health plans to improve the quality and efficiency of care, regional investment and cooperation to apply information technology and engage in community outreach, and a shared commitment to improve the accessibility of care for underserved populations. The Commonwealth Fund